3Homecoming
by Hardwing
Summary: Demona comes home, but how will the clan react on the traitor?


3.Homecoming  
  
28.07.98; 21:31; Castle Wyvern Briefing Centre:  
  
The room, Goliath had made into a briefing centre, since there was enough clan again so that they could organise a group to work out different affairs. This special group that was made up of Goliath, Hudson, Deborah, Brooklyn, Angela and Desdemona, were concerning themselves with a special topic, or better yet, a special Gargoyle.  
  
"So tell us, how was your journey?" Goliath started.  
  
"The coward did not dare to come!" Deborah snarled angrily "instead of coming with me and finally turn herself in, she preferred to hide herself further."  
  
Some of the others, who were assembled, looked around nervously. They had known this from the moment when Deborah had arrived in the dusk of the last day, alone, and her face showed great urgency when she thought about this.  
  
Brooklyn swallowed. He had, ever since she had tricked him into capturing Goliath, never been a friend to Demona and even when his hate had cooled down in the last months, which was mainly based on the fact that there were now many female Gargoyles, his age, in the castle. Gargoyles who he could impress, especially because of his position as the clan's second. But even so, he surely would never be her friend. But the way that Deborah had just reacted at the mention of Demona's name, was enough to frighten even him.  
  
Deborah had made it clear on what she thought the clan should do with Demona, as long as it involved laying her claws into her. The rest of the clan thought more moderately about its former second, Brooklyn had astonishingly heard some talking from some of the new clan that they would miss their sister, or rather their former leader. He himself was certainly not interested in her. "We should let her be," he explained calmly "let her spend the rest of eternity alone."  
  
Angela looked at him, angrily, but before she could argue that this would be too cruel and that this would torture her even so, Deborah's voice raised. "Being alone seemingly did not bother her" she explained harshly "at least, I had not noticed it."  
  
"I doubt heavily that my sister enjoys the loneliness" Desdemona remarked "but she wouldn't have surely spread this out in front of you teacher. Besides, you undoubtedly did not ask after her feelings."  
  
There was a small accusation in her voice. From the beginning, she had thought that it would be a bad idea to let Deborah speak with Demona, as she had seen the anger in Deborah's eyes. Since she and her mate had reunited themselves with the clan again, as full organically Gargoyles, she had noticed that every time the name of her fallen sister was spoken, anew anger in her former teacher's eyes flared up.  
  
"After all she did to the clan or to you, I will surely not ask her to come back!" Deborah, who had not overheard the accusation in her former pupil's voice, said. "If she would have just a spark of honour and decency then she would have come with me."  
  
Desdemona stayed calm and looked directly into Deborah's eyes. "I have forgiven her," she explained "my mate and great parts of the clan too. So why do you not?"  
  
They looked at each other for some moments, but both of them knew the reason why. Because Deborah had trained Demona, because aside from the disappointment that she felt for her former pupil, she felt personally hurt that of all people, her pupil had contributed to the destruction of the clan.  
  
"Well I think..." Goliath started, who wanted to defuse this discussion, but he didn't get a chance to speak any further because Hudson interrupted him. "Look..." he pointed to a TV, one of four in the room, which were installed to grant the assembled persons all the information of the world that they needed.  
  
At the moment, CNN was showing the picture of a well-known businesswoman and they all stared, surprised, at the familiar face. Hudson took the remote control in, what Deborah's point of view, was a much too practised movement and switched on the tone.  
  
"... declared the press spokesman of Nightstone Unlimited that Miss Destine's decision to make a business trip to New York was based on the hard fight, Nightstone and Xanacorps led for the rule of this important market. The German Company, Siemens, has..."  
  
The assembled Gargoyles kept quiet, as they all knew what this meant and it was much more than a simple business trip, much more.  
  
"Statements of Xanacorps for the comeback of its largest concurrence in the immediate neighbourhood are still not given, we..."  
  
Hudson switched the tone off, as they knew what was important. He looked at the picture of Dominique Destine on the TV and noticed that his mate looked at it even so, in a way, which made him feel uncomfortable.  
  
"Seems the lass is coming anyway in the end." Hudson said calmly and looked at his mate.  
  
"Are you satisfied now?" Desdemona asked Deborah.  
  
"We will see." She said quietly "we will see."  
  
28.07.98; 00:32; Castle Wyvern:  
  
In a room in the inner castle, which had practically become his office, Goliath talked to his brother, Javin. "So really, you have to do something leader," the smaller Gargoyle explained angrily, "this partner that Chavez has given me is a disaster! He talks the whole time just about football, as if it is the only thing in the world. Aside from that, he is much too slow, as I hunted with a thief with him in the Central Park and when I had him, my *partner* needed 10 whole minutes to catch up to me."  
  
Goliath shook his head, "listen brother, you know humans are not as fast as we..." he explained in his usual calm way "and we can not choose whom we get as partners. You should be happy that he has decided to go out on patrol with one of us, so that you can come out."  
  
Javin looked at him in a way, which Goliath did not like and nodded. "Sure, for *allowing* us to protect them, we get nurses at our sides, which impede us more then assist us..." he noted "yes I'm so thankful."  
  
Goliath groaned inside, but kept stoically outside. "We have discussed this as a clan, we shall protect the humans."  
  
Javin nodded, but he could have added rightly that it was mainly Goliath who had decided it and the rest of the clan did not know any better, but he knew better and kept silence. "Naturally brother" he gave up, defeated, because he knew how senseless it was to speak with Goliath when he had his mind made up. "Will you excuse me, I have to speak to Ajax."  
  
Goliath winced slightly by the mention of this name, but nodded and Javin quickly removed himself from out of the room, so fast, that he nearly ran down the human who wanted to pass through the door at the exact same moment.  
  
"Oh sorry Detective." He greeted shortly, and hurried on.  
  
Elisa watched him leave and then continued to walk to Goliath, who had already started to sit down at his desk, but when he saw his mate entering, he raise again. "My love, it is good to see you. I thought you would not come tonight?" He said and Elisa smirked at him, which for him was so wonderful that it was like how the sky was before dawn.  
  
"You know I can't live a single night without you..." she declared and wanted to add ~and no day~ but omitted it, knowing very well that it was impossible. She looked at his desk and registered the mountain of papers and files. "Paperwork?" She asked with sympathy and Goliath nodded. "Oh yes...." he declared "it seemed that it would not end." He moaned "since we disclosed the identities of the whole clan to the government 5 months before, it has not stopped. First, we had to give the authorities our number and names, the pictures we had to send them for registration. Then the questions from the federal state of New York, then the Federal Government and finally of the UNO. And now, these facts are wanted by your district so that they can allow us to go with them on patrol..." He groaned.  
  
"Sounds like you need a secretary." Elisa noted and Goliath nodded. "I thought about this already, but some of the facts that they want to know are things that only I should know."  
  
Elisa looked at him with sympathy "I don't wish to make it worse," she said "but" and handed him some more files and papers. "These are the documents of two more police officers who have volunteered to be in the Human- Gargoyle-Police patrols." She said happily, but Goliath didn't smile, as he was just looking at the files, as he took them. "Yes, two more..."  
  
Elisa heard the tone of his voice and knew what it was that was depressing him "but still too few?" She asked and Goliath nodded.  
  
"Yes, we have 70 good ready warriors, but there are only 11 human partners... If you could try anew to recommend that we patrol alone..." Elisa slowly shook her head and leaned herself at the desk "I *have* tried it and Matt too, I can try it anew but I have no hope." Goliath nodded, seemingly unhappy.  
  
"You have to understand, the humans here want to be protected by their own race... most humans refuse to be protected by Gargoyles."  
  
Goliath looked at her "I had not assumed that it would be so difficult" he admitted "and the clan not even so... The 70 warriors that we have, are the ones who want to co-operate. There are 21 others who are lead by Ajax and mostly from Demona's old clan and some of our older, more experienced warriors, who did not want to work with the police from the beginning. Then, there are these 10 warriors who, after hearing the conditions that we wait one month until we get permission to go on patrol together with the police and then under the condition that we swear on the constitution, have refused.... I think at the moment, the greatest part of the clan is convinced that we should stop protecting this city completely! They do not even look upon this city as their own, particularly because of its non- recognition of us as an intelligent race besides of humanity or even as our own nation or of *ANY* organisation has not happened yet." Goliath groaned again.  
  
"The other Clan-leaders and I have spoken and some were convinced that they should represent their own clan to the public! They have already gone back to their old positions and have been convinced that they should just wait... even Valejan. This makes our position even harder, as the only known clan..." Goliath rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Oh, and have I told you that some Clan-members are openly thinking about going back to Scotland, to one of the three Clans that are living there or to Avalon? This would make the whole trouble complete! And not just the problems with the authorities, but the fact that clan breaks shortly after it is complete again... But I can understand them, when they glide over the cities and are out of duty, they are not allowed to help the humans that they see in danger because our status as part of this city is unclear."  
  
Elisa looked at him calmly "I understand what you feel Goliath... but you just need patience."  
  
Goliath threw his claws in the air "this is what I constantly tell the others, but.... We protect Elisa, this is our nature and if we can not do this, or if we do it just under some special circumstances, then it is more than unsatisfying."  
  
Elisa looked at him silence and than embraced him, firmly. Goliath returned this embrace and laid his wings around her. For some time, they simple stood so in silence and looked at each other with an indescribable love and finally Goliath's face lightened and he smiled "thank you my Elisa." She smiled back "anytime my love."  
  
Suddenly the door opened and an older Gargoyle, who had given himself the name Marcus, entered. He discovered the unequal couple and his expression darkened. "Sorry..." he explained and left very fast through the door. "Wait I..." Goliath started, but Marcus had already closed the door behind his back.  
  
Elisa became uneasy and went out of her mate's embrace. "Seems that not everybody is happy with the two of us together." She noticed and Goliath nodded, sadly. "I'm sorry Elisa, but some of the elders have told me, just too clearly, what they think of us both... Naturally, I tried to convince them, but. during their time when they hatched, they knew of no humans and gargoyles pairing up together. They just need time."  
  
Elisa smiled weakly. "I know Goliath, I can not declare you as my mate in the police station... I still hear from too many that they do not tolerate Gargoyles. Would it become public that I am your mate, I could not work as a police officer or even in public anymore."  
  
"It seems that we need to work a lot longer till we can slender through the town together" Goliath explained "but together, we will achieve it." Elisa nodded, but her own optimism had cracked the last time.  
  
"Oh, on the other topic, how was Deborah's journey to the European clans?" She asked.  
  
"Well," Goliath started "she could not achieve anything by the other clans, they still do not wish to reveal themselves, but by Demona..." he became quiet and then started anew, but Elisa knew this depressed him more than any trouble with the humans could ever do. "She is coming," he declared "tomorrow or the day after..." He smiled shortly "I hear some of my brothers and sisters say that they miss her."  
  
"And you?" Elisa asked straight ahead, knowing very well that this was a very different topic and Goliath hesitated. "I miss the sister she once was..." he admitted "but I know that she is not this anymore. A section of the greatest part of the clan has yet to learn this, but perhaps... There is her whole clan now, both clans, and she wrote that she had given up trying to destroy humanity. I believe her because the Phoenix Gate is such a good weapon for this and she willingly gave it to us. I hope she can become the gargoyle that I knew again, but I am unsure."  
  
Elisa nodded, she understood very well and even so knew that he did not want his *Angel of the Night* back. "Listen Goliath! I can not say I know the gargoyle she was once, but we will see perhaps if she finds her peace."  
  
"Perhaps you are right..." he answered, but even in his ears, it did not sound convinced.  
  
30.07.98; 23:04; Castle Wyvern:  
  
The evening was calm in the castle, this was rare, but the hatchlings were on tour with some guardians and in doing so, gave the plentiful stressed clan some time to rest. It was said that hatchlings were the life of each clan, but this life was very stressful when there was no sure place to play besides that of the castle itself where the kids could work out their masses of surplus energy. This led to the situation that the castle was, in the last 7 months, definitely no quiet place and that there weren't that much breakable things because most of them had already been broken or moved out. It didn't have to be mentioned that the nerves of the adult clan members were not the best and they greeted every quiet moment happily like when the hatchlings went into the cinema... the clan was very thankful for Disney's movies.  
  
A couple enjoyed the wonderful, strange and welcomed silence on the outside walls. "It is wonderful to be undisturbed, don't you think so my love?" Asked the blue skinned and blue-hair female Gargoyle with two horns on her head, who had given herself the name Fuchsia. The dark aquamarine coloured Gargoyle with the dark green hair, now called Diomedes, affectionately held his mate in his powerful arms and answered "yes" and went through her hair with his talon. "No little imps who flit around here and there to disturb us." He explained, purring happily. "Yes..." she replied calmly and started to purr.  
  
Then, she looked out across the sky, over the city and paused.  
  
"What is my love?" Her mate asked, worried, but she just pointed silently to the horizon. He looked at it and understood, as he soon discovered with sharper eyes, what humans could never have, the silhouette of a female gargoyle in the horizon. It could have been a member of the clan who was coming back from a patrol or simple a circuit, but both saw the flame red hair and knew that it was a very special Gargoyle...  
  
"Come, let us inform the others." Diomedes said and Fuchsia nodded ~yes, lets prepare for the comeback of our lost sister~ so both Gargoyles hurried off on all fours, over the inner courtyard, into the castle.  
  
Some Minutes later...  
  
Demona landed in the inner courtyard, slowly looking around for one second and asked herself if it was worth it. She thought about just swinging herself back in the sky again and gliding away as far as her wings would carry her. ~But where to? The thing has finally to be cleared or there is no secure place for me anything in the world~ She asked herself and at once got her answer ~simply away from here. ~ But she knew that she did not have this possibility without appearing as a complete coward, since she had already been discovered by her two siblings. She saw how both of them had hurried into the castle. ~No doubt to inform the rest of them that I'm on my way~ Demona frowned when she thought of the whole clan, waiting for her on the inside.  
  
Although she slowly made her way over to the door that led into the Great Hall, she thought ~what is waiting there for me? ~ Demona asked herself, nervously, and finally she just admitted to herself, timidly, ~whatever! It can not be worse than the massacre~. But she was not so sure about this. Indeed, she felt that after the massacre, her once destroyed clan would look at her, accusingly. Now it would surely indeed be so and Demona was not sure if this was so much better. ~Control yourself! ~ She admonished herself when she came to the door ~and do not make yourself crazy! ~ She breathed deeply and pushed open the door, waiting for anything that awaited her there....  
  
Demona entered the castle that she had once called home and look around.  
  
She saw four Gargoyles of her old clan, standing and talking happily together in the inner hall, relatives that were far away from her.  
  
When they discovered who had entered the hall, they stopped talking and looked at her. Two simple hostile eyes, the eyes of an older female, even started to glare red whereas just one of the trio's generation studied her with neutral interest.  
  
~Great!~ she thought, then she looked around further, ignoring the whistle of the three elders, of which one of them said "Look, the traitor is back!"  
  
Nearer her stood three other Gargoyles who were much more interesting. The old female was indeed the oldest Gargoyle of the Wyvern clan, more than 90 at human ages and had already been old when Demona and her siblings had hatched, she had told them stories while growing up. Aside of her stood Demona's rookery brother, Thersites, who looked at her really uneasy and aside of him stood the second in command of her former clan at the time of Moray.  
  
They all looked at her now with some surprise, but the oldest one looked at her just with love. After some seconds of painful silence, Demona cleared her throat and asked calmly, but with power. "Where is Goliath?" ~My judge...~ She thought bitterly.  
  
The three looked at each other, finally the eldest answered, "he awaits for you in the briefing centre, the former war room of the captain, child." Demona shuddered by the love in the elder's voice. ~Child? I am eight times older than she is! ~ "Good!" she said and wanted to go, but the oldest voice stopped her. "Good to see you home again child."  
  
Demona stopped and answered without looking into the elder's eyes, she knew she could not endure the love in her eyes. "This is not my home" she answered, so coldly. Like her face, it was to hide her feelings "and will never be it again."  
  
Suddenly, something barked behind her and Demona turned around... just to be thrown from her feet by something large and black. She wanted to defend herself, but a large, black Gargbeast was already licking her face.  
  
Demona looked in it's... her face. A large scar was set from the right forehead to the left chin. On the back, right about her left foreleg, was another large scar, which had to be very deep at one time and at her right side, on her whole back were many smaller and greater scars.  
  
"Hey..." Demona said while she squat up, in a soft tone that she had swore to herself, never to use in these walls again. Then she gentle and softly stroke about the beast's head and back while the beast was purring and she softly joined in, before reminding herself where she was. She looked up at the three other Gargoyles and the oldest answered. "Well there is at least one besides me who would regret this." She said smiling.  
  
Her former second joined in "well Demona, she missed you and she has done so since we awakened here.... You know that you are the first and perhaps the only one of us, she ever really felt happy with."  
  
Demona looked at him while stroking the beast. Yes she knew...  
  
04.02.1046; 01:39; Scotland Highlands  
  
The group of three Gargoyles, who had glided through the harsh and cold Scottish winter air for a long time, landed near a farm. The fields were covered with snow and the sky promised that it would stay so for at least a few weeks.  
  
"Why did we come here leader?" The large, grey skinned gargoyle with a beak and long white hair asked his leader, who even when cold did not bother Gargoyles, felt uncomfortable so far outside from castle Moray.  
  
"You know why" the leader of the group and the entire clan, answered. It was a female Gargoyle with fiery red hair and a face so beautiful like the night. Once, in a former life, she had been called Angel, but now she had a name, which she found to be more fitting... Demona, the first advisor, ally and unbelievably, friend of the king.  
  
This king ruled wisely, even Demona had to admit that and under his rule, Scotland began to live a heyday for both of their inhabitants, Humans and Gargoyles. And even when she never would have bowed herself before him like her former mate did once before Princess Katharine, she felt that he was her king, too...  
  
But this was not actually now and she looked to the farmhouse. "Come!" She ordered to both of her companions and they followed her, but without great enthusiasm. Not that she could not understand them.... But she had to, at last, for Macbeth.  
  
Some nights ago, a envoy came from this area to ask for the help of the king because a monster, as black as the night, had been attacking the farmhouses around his town and stealing their food for two months and that the farmers could not catch it. Instead of sending some knights, Macbeth informed Demona of this, which she was very thankful for.  
  
The description of the monster was fitting to a Gargbeast and this was a very good message because, since Wyvern, Demona had not seen any Gargoyle Beasts. So she and her clan thought that this part of the gargoyle race was extinct in Scotland.  
  
Demona prayed that it was not so when she came close to the farmhouse. "Look!" Her other companion said, who was small compared with the other, had aquamarine skin and a very short beak, and pointed to a group of men standing in the field and laughing.  
  
Demona nodded and approached to the group. She had a bad feeling, she knew other occasions when humans laughed so and they were never good ones. Finally, the humans noticed her small group and the laughter died at once and some raised her weapons, consisting out pitchforks, swords and bows.  
  
Demona looked at them and successfully defeated her first instinct, which was just to leap on them. "I am here in the name of the king. Your envoy reached his court and now I shall care for your... Monster."  
  
The men looked at her, doubting, until one man whispered "yes, she is the demon of the king, I have heard of her... I have no idea why our good king should concern himself with such monsters, but he do..."  
  
This was definitely not aimed on her ears and whispered very quietly, but Gargoyles had generally much better hearing than humans did and Demona had very good ears for a Gargoyle. But she did not let them know that, so she didn't let it bother her because if it did then what would the simple people say about her and her kind.  
  
So she just looked at them "have you faced this *monster* lately?" She asked, as politely as it was possible for her, to them.  
  
The first man, who seemed to be the leader of the small group, nodded. "Indeed we have, hardly a hour ago we fought against it." He lifted his sword and Demona could see blood. "With this sword, I have wounded it over its left foreleg..." he smiled proudly "it escaped, but it bleed so much that I have no doubt, it will not survive the night."  
  
Demona could not hold the response back any longer "oh yes, 10 men against one surely scared and hungry animal..." she studied all of them, "I am impressed."  
  
The leaders face darkened even more "this monster attacked one of my men and he nearly lost his leg by this!" He started, but Demona stayed cool and asked, "attacked him before or after you attacked it?"  
  
The men kept silence.  
  
Demona nodded "I thought so..." she continued "now tell me where you achieved your great victory and we will leave you alone to impress your families with your horror stories."  
  
The farmer looked at her and she could see the hate in his eyes, now even more clearly then before, but he pointed in a direction. "Go straight there and you will find the place where we fought against it... if you follow the blood, it should be no problem to find it."  
  
Demona looked at him through eyes, so green as the far away spring, but at the same time, as icy as no Scottish winter ever was. "Thank you for your help" she said and without giving him any more attention, she went there, followed by her companions.  
  
They reached the place of the field and already saw, far off, the trail of blood. Indeed, there were two trails, one in the direction of the small agglomeration of houses, which had to be the one of the wounded man and one in the direction of the hilly wild land before them.  
  
They followed the trail, by air, to get a better summary, as it was relatively easy to follow the trail of red blood on the snow with their sharp eyes. Until they discovered that it ended at one of the small hills, near a river, which had not frozen because it winded between the hills where it was warmer then in the open terrain.  
  
They landed and followed the blood until they came to the entrance of a small cave, which was hardly as high as Demona's hip. "Wait here and I will explore this" the small aquamarine Gargoyle said and started to crawl into the entrance.  
  
This was a big mistake. Because at once, when he entered the entrance, a growl was the answer and the small gargoyle crawled, on his back, out of the cave, very fast. He was followed by a creature, which seemed to be a mix of red and black with four arrows in the right side of its back.  
  
The first thing they saw, were two red eyes coming quickly out of the darkness and then a mouth, snapping wildly after the small Gargoyle's tail. He could luckily take back his tail though, with the rest of his anatomy too.  
  
Even the larger Gargoyle took a step back. "By the endless day..." he coursed, but his leader stayed calm when the beast snapped. The beast growled, but did nothing to attack the stranger further.  
  
Demona looked at it and saw that it had indeed a simple black skin, but all of its blood made it appear as a mixture of red and black and the blood seemed to glow in the darkness. She looked deep into its red glowing eyes, then she kneeled down before it... before her and started to approach slowly.  
  
"Leader no! It seems not to know other Gargoyles... its a wild one and too dangerous to..." Her companion with the white hair said, but Demona interrupted him "shut up and stay back." She ordered and they did so, as they knew better than not to follow her orders.  
  
Slowly, she approached further and the beast started to growl louder, but Demona simple reached out her claw to it, so that it was just the length of half of her arm, away from the beast's dangerously open and growling mouth.  
  
The beast growled even louder, but she held her claw there and spoke softly "have no fear, we are here to help..." Her companions looked at each other in wonder... they had never heard her leader speak so softly like now, they didn't even know that she could speak so.  
  
The beast did not calm down, but Demona stayed within its sight, of the face, which had an older scar from the right forehead to the left part of the chin and both of their eyes met, as if they were searching each others souls. Finally, the beast approached a bit and smelled at her claw.  
  
What it smelled, seemed to please it because its eyes stopped glowing red and the beast now approached Demona so that it could lick her claw and then it sat, exhausted, aside from her.  
  
Demona slowly raised her other claw and started to, gently, stroke about the unhurt parts of its back, which were not a lot. At the same time, she studied it more exactly and her fears proved true.  
  
The farmer had not been lying about what he said that he had done to the beast. His sword had been forced deeply into the flesh and the bone of its left foreleg and the wound was still bleeding a lot. At the same time, blood flood from the holes that the three arrows had made in the left side of its back.  
  
Her white-haired companion came to the same result like she did. "It will die" he noticed and his companion nodded. But Demona did not agree, "not when I can prevent it!" She said and her eyes slightly glared while she stroked the beast's head.  
  
"But leader" white hair started, "it looses too much blood and it has pains, we should end it pains." When he had said this, Demona looked at him and her eyes glowed, as red as the beasts had before. "We will do nothing like this" she growled and unconsciously, he moved a step back. "It... " she paused before continuing "she has seemingly survived a long time alone, which was not easy as you can easily see, but she did not give up. So I will not force her to do so now!"  
  
White hair nodded, but Demona stayed glaring at him. "You" she commanded "go and find wood then make a fire here." He nodded and went away while she looked at his companion "and you go to the river and catch as much mud as you can find, bring it to me so that I can seal her wounds." The small Gargoyle nodded and went off.  
  
Demona looked in the Gargbeast's eyes. "Listen," she said firmly "I won't give up, so you has to do even so. Okay?" As a response, the beast howled slightly and Demona stroke its head.  
  
She saw the white-haired Gargoyle come back and started to make a campfire before her during which, the beast snuggled up to her, seemingly happy about the comfort of a warm body around its own.  
  
Finally, the small Gargoyle came back with his claw full of mud. Demona nodded to him to signalise him to start sealing the wound with it, but when he came closer, the beast started to growl so he stopped.  
  
Demona looked at the beast then on her man. "Give me the mud" she ordered and he followed. Again, she looked at the beast and then at its still much bleeding wound over its left foreleg "This might hurt, but it helps.... Trust me." The beast showed no reaction, but it did not growl when Demona smeared the mud in the wound, but just howled a bit, seemingly enduring great pains.  
  
Demona purred softly to calm down the beast when she finally had smeared it and then smiled lightly "This was not as bad as you imagined, was it?" She asked softly and finally felt the warmth of the fire behind her back. But then she looked at the three arrows and the still bleeding wounds they were in.  
  
"But the worst part is still to come" she said, more to herself than to anybody else, then she looked into the beast's eyes "this will hurt, but it is necessary to stop the bleeding."  
  
Again the Gargbeast seemed to understand and she started to study the arrows. "I need more mud..." she ordered without looking around and the small Gargoyle nodded and hurried up to the river.  
  
Then, as softly as she could, she took the first arrow in her claw and started to pull it out, as gentle as she could, but the beast howled loudly and the arrow refused to go out.  
  
"Barbs..." Demona growled and cursed the damned human who had made these arrows. "This will be much more painful..." she explained to the beast, "but if I do not do so, it will meld with the skin during the stone sleep and it will be much harder and more painful to remove it tomorrow."  
  
It was hard to say if the Gargbeast understood this, but when she started to open the wound even more, the beast just howled slightly and did not make anything to stop her. Much to the amazement of the other two Gargoyles who looked at the scene with the tamed Gargbeast, in wonder.  
  
Demona used her claws to open the wound, as far as necessary, to remove the arrow and was finally able to pull the arrow out. "Here!" She said and placed the arrow on the ground of the beast's face. "Two still remain."  
  
She smeared the mud, which her clan member had placed beside her, in the wound like she did before with the first one and then went on. She removed the other two like the first one and again the Gargbeast just howled slightly.  
  
Finally, she sighed and smeared the mud in the last two open wounds and at the same time, she stroked the beast's head again.  
  
"Leader, she has lost a lot of blood and it is still at least 3 hours till sunrise..." the small gargoyle started and Demona nodded. "Yes, now it's her turn" she explained and looked into the beast's eyes ~please don't give up~ she thought and the beast howled calmly.  
  
Dusk; The Next Night:  
  
The three Gargoyles and a Gargbeast awakened with loud roars and stretched their limps, refreshed. Demona looked down at the beast and smiled, as it seemed to have healed completely now. The wound above her right foreleg had closed and the one her back as well.  
  
Without all the blood, Demona could see how young the beast was. It had been 8 years since the last hatching time and it looked as if the beast was hardly 4 Gargoyle years old... But she saw the scars on its back, much more than of the three arrows of last night.  
  
"I knew you are a fighter." Demona said calmly to the beast that looked at her and then started to lick her claws while barking happily. Demona smiled at this then she looked at the cave that the beast had come out of last night. "Will you show me your home now?" She asked and the beast barked anew while entering the cave. It seemed as if she asked Demona to come with her.  
  
"Wait here" she ordered to the others and followed the beast on her claws. After 2 or 5 metres, the cave became larger and Demona entered. With her good eyes, she saw a scene that she wished to see never again...  
  
The skeleton of a large adult Gargbeast was in the middle of the, probably, 7 metre broad and 2 metre high cave. It seemed as if it was probably a year dead. Gargoyle bodies crumbled very fast after the death, but the dry air of the cave or perhaps any other circumstance had preserved the body.  
  
Demona could see a spear lying at the skeleton and recognised that this beast... Her mother, it seemed, had died no natural death... "So there is something that these farmers have not yet told us" she said loudly and looked around further, but did not discover any more skeletons.  
  
Perhaps the partner of the adult beast died already before the eggs hatched and Demona knew there had to have been at least two, perhaps even three eggs, which had hatched here. "Where is the rest of your family?" She asked calmly to the beast, which had lied down beside the skeleton and howled sadly. Demona didn't know, but perhaps there wasn't any other eggs or her siblings had died before, starved to death or killed by the humans who did not tolerate them? Or there never was any other eggs hatched and it was the only one? Maybe even the other adult took the others with him to another, more secure area when its partner died and this one stayed behind because of any reason.  
  
It was all the same now, this beast was alone and looked as if it had been for at least a year... ~but this will end now~ she swore to herself and the beast silently. She looked to the beast and stroked its head again calmly. "Do you want to come with us... me?" She asked gently and looked into her eyes. And again, there was a connection between their souls, Demona knew how it was, to be alone and to loose everybody that she had ever loved and the beast seemed to recognise this and seemed to howl to cheer her up then she looked down on the skeleton again.  
  
"Come," Demona explained "let us give your mother peace."  
  
Perhaps twenty minutes later, they were assembled by a freshly dug grave, outside of the cave. "So this is the end of this race..." The white-haired said and looked down on the grave, but his leader shook her head and looked down on the Gargbeast on her side.  
  
"This race can survive even without our own. They did so before our races made this alliance and they will so again even without our help. Who knows, perhaps there are still a few outside, hidden and save..." She looked at both of her companions "but actually, we have a new clan member," again she looked down on the beast "haven't we?" The beast barked happily and Demona smiled.  
  
Back in the present  
  
The former second nodded and looked at the beast. "If you do not want to stay, you has to take her with you." Demona looked at him and shook her head. "No," she answered "I have no place. Besides, here she has other beasts to play with... I can not offer her this."  
  
Her former second sighed "she did not want the company of the other beasts, she does not eat very much and always looks sad. I have not seen her so living since we awakened. Take her with you, at least for her."  
  
Demona stroked the head of the beast and then. "Okay... Which name have you given her?" He shook his head, "well some of the hatchlings tried to name her. Scar was the name, but she was not happy with it."  
  
Demona looked at him "Scar?" She shook her head and then looked at the... her beast. "No, this is no name for you..." She thought of the night that she had met her, "Shade." The beast barked happily and the three Gargoyles around them looked at each other, surprised.  
  
"Seemingly you are linked." The oldest noticed and Demona nodded while standing up. "Well then, come Shade! You and I have a... date tonight and they surely wait already." With these words and without saying goodbye to the others, she went in the direction of the briefing room.  
  
Demona went, accompanied by Shade, through the corridors of the castle to the briefing room and met some further members of both of her former clans who greeted her to Demona's surprise, partly reserved, partly hostile, but even so, partly friendly. She was very lucky that her tribunal would not be an all too public arrangement. ~But my old teacher would love it~ she thought. She approached the floor, which finally led to the public room and went around the corner... directly into Diomedes.  
  
"Uff! Can't you..." The great Gargoyle loudly complained until he saw whom he had run into. "Sister" he greeted her, after studying her from head to claw. He was calm, but not hostile, she noticed. She nodded as a reply "Brother." Then they both did not know what to say, so they just looked at each other in silence and both thought about what they had shared once and Shade looked at both of them, unsure what to do. Then Demona claimed the speech "how is your mate?" She asked calmly and without any true interest in it.  
  
"Good, good," he answered nervously "she got used to New York very good... Oh, she is called Fuchsia now and I Diomedes." Again there was silence, then Diomodes started calmly "You gave me up for the Archmage." She looked at him icily "no, you gave me up because you could not bear that I had and have secrets."  
  
Diomedes looked at her angrily "you could have told it to me..." he accused "I would have said nothing." Demona shrugged her shoulders "maybe... but I did not ask you for nothing, but to accept my private sphere."  
  
He laughed bitterly "you spent more time with him than with me!" He answered angrily "tell me, was it worth this? Your magic, was it worth to alienate yourself from me... and from the rest of the clan?"  
  
Demona looked at him calmly "you live because of this magic" she answered simply and Diomedes face darkened even more. "Yes because I *died* because of you in the first hand."  
  
Demona looked in his eyes and nodded after some heartbeats. "Yes" she said in a cold voice. Diomedes glared at her "And?"  
  
"I am sorry." Demona answered in the same voice.  
  
"This is all?" Diomedes said, more in wonder than anger.  
  
"What more is there to be said?" Demona asked.  
  
Again he glared at her, "I don't know" he answered and started to walk away "I do not know."  
  
After these words, he continued to walk in the opposite direction of where he had come from. Demona looked after him, shortly, but than faced the way she still had to go. At the other end of the corridor was the door to the briefing centre, not guarded like Demona expected, but seemingly so far away.  
  
~Perhaps this is part of my already decided punishment~ Demona thought sarcastically when she went through the corridor, ~to go endless ways and imagine my punishment by myself~ then she thought of Deborah ~surely her idea~. She looked down on Shade "At least I am not alone."  
  
Finally, she was at the door and touched the door handle with her talon, ready to stand upright against what or who was waiting for her behind this door. Then she looked down to Shade "wait here," she ordered "I have to face this alone." Shade howled lightly and then set down beside the door. Demona nodded and opened the door...  
  
She entered without seeing who or what was waiting for her in the room and walked upright with dignity, but did not overdo it and looked around in the room. There was Goliath who, as usual, was stoic faced. Then there was Hudson who looked at her with a somewhat weak smile. Brooklyn who just looked at her, but not with his usually hate that she had come to expect. Her caramel skinned sister, who was apparently living again, Angela who greeted her mother with a smile that was full of love and naturally Deborah, how her old teacher called herself now, who looked at Demona with nothing more than cold contempt.  
  
"There, I am here like you told me." Demona explained icily and this ice was to her like a refreshing shower. But not just to her, her caramel skinned sister wanted to say something, but Deborah claimed the word first. "What held you up so long?" She asked as icily as Demona and made it clear to her that not everyone of the clan had forgiven her.  
  
"I had to clear some formalities first, to move a company from one continent to another needs some work, which has to be co-ordinated." She explained, provoking, and added proudly "especially a company like Nightstone." This was a lie and Demona knew that Deborah knew it. She could have come with Deborah in the same night and Nightstone would have gone on without her. But she did not want to let it seem like her old teacher had caught her at the tail and dragged her back to the clan like a naughty sulky little hatchling in the rookery. That and. something else.  
  
"Sure" Deborah answered, even more icily.  
  
"It is good that you have come mother." Angela explained softly and lovingly, trying to make everyone forget the bad start of this discussion.  
  
"This has yet to be shown by you daughter." Demona explained calmly, in a neutral voice, although the ice in her voice had melted, she was trying not to show the love she felt for her daughter.  
  
"Yes sister," her caramel skinned sister said, "it will. Besides, I am now called Desdemona and my mate Othello." Demona looked at her rookery sister, whom she had stood closest to of all siblings, into her eyes, but only for a short time because she could not bear it. She had looked at her with a spark of humour in her eyes, but it was put out fast.  
  
"Well?" Demona asked impatiently. She felt like a knot was tied in her stomach and looked at Goliath. Goliath nodded, still stoic, and answered "Demona, you shall, on the wish of some members of the clan, be judged by me relating to the your betrayal on this clan." He explained in a voice that Demona knew all too well "will you accept my judgement?" Demona hesitated and then nodded "I have to make some... business dealings in the city and want no more fight between me and your clan... if this is the price then so be it." Under normal circumstances, she would have simply laughed and beaten the life out of him... If she would have been in the mood for mercy, but now it was simple necessary... and the others could not even imagine how necessary.  
  
"Then listen," he still looked at her and the tension in the room grew. "Demona, I see that the guilt you have been through has been paid and that further punishment is needless. You brought back the Gargoyles who died partly through your hands and even if you could not or did not want to do this for the human victims of your betrayal, it is enough."  
  
Demona looked at him and at first, could not believe it ~otherwise, it is Goliath, so...~ even Deborah seemed more than a little surprised, but she was definitely not happy about this.  
  
"Besides" Goliath continued "we have, with the help of the Phoenix Gate, brought back other clans and. The poor souls who were shattered when you changed all of the humans in this city into stone. We were able to bring them forward in time and remove the spell with the help of a sorcerer from the London clan."  
  
Demona nodded, she assumed so when she gave him the Gate that he would even use it to bring these useless humans back, but if they would remain dead or alive again, they were just humans. She looked around and saw her caramel sister and Angela smiling, a spark of hope in Hudson's eyes and Brooklyn simple neutral. "Is that all?" Demona and Deborah asked simultaneously and both looked at each other angrily.  
  
Goliath sighed, "you have made your own punishment for yourself in the 1000 years that you have lived." He explained calmly "by your loneliness, you caused yourself to being prey to the hunters for all this time. I believe that you have been punished enough and you have finally repaid the clan for the pain you caused. To seek further punishment," he explained while looking shortly at Deborah, who's face showed aversion, "would mean to claim vengeance and this is a contradict of what I believe to be justice and what a clan should not do."  
  
Demona looked at him and a part of her could still not believe it. "This means I am free and can go?" She asked, still doubting, but Goliath simple nodded.  
  
"Yes." He simply said.  
  
She looked at him, shortly and then, without looking at Deborah again, she walked in the direction of the door. Someone spoke her name and she looked around to the person who called her, before asking herself what her sister could want? "Yes?"  
  
Desdemona looked her sister directly in the eyes. "You could stay here," she offered calmly "come back to your clan, we... I miss you." Demona looked into her restored sister's eyes and then shook her head. "Not my thing sister..." When she saw the disappointment and the weak pain in her sister's eyes, she added "but I'm staying in the city for a while and you surely know my address, so..." She smiled. It was the first true smile that Desdemona had seen in her sister ever since she had woken up in this new world.  
  
"We will keep in contact," Demona said and Desdemona nodded, she could live with it... for the time being. When Demona started to walk to the door, Angela left her position. "I shall accompany you outside mother... if you do not have anything against this?" Demona looked at her daughter and nodded. During this she had looked, one last time, into Deborah's eyes... She shuddered.  
  
Mother and daughter, together with Shade, went down the corridor that led to the highest tower of the castle and on the whole way, they did not meet anyone else, to Demona's happiness.  
  
"I missed you mother." Angela told her on the half of the way, so that Demona slowed down and shook her head. "This can hardly be Angela..." she explained in a neutral voice "if you see the contact we had until now. You don't know me."  
  
Angela looked at her mother, unsure what to respond to this or simple how her mother meant this? "We talked in the labyrinth." she reminded her.  
  
"Yes," Demona answered sarcastically "and the next time we talked..." Demona did not say more but Angela could see pain in her eyes. ~she remorses it realy~ Angela nodded sadly, but did not want to think about that right now. "It is past mother... I have forgiven you." Now they were on the top of the tower and Demona looked her daughter, directly in her face "Yes, but some have not."  
  
Angela knew who her mother meant "Deborah and the few others will come round in time." Angela said and believed in it, but Demona mentally shook her head ~no daughter~ she thought ~it had not ended for her... not for a long time~. "Maybe." she answered instead and leapt on the wall, Shade beside her.  
  
"You need not go, mother," Angela started "stay here with your clan, your family... me. You would be together with your sisters again." Demona looked into the eyes of her daughter and saw something like hope in it. "No Angela," she explained softly, but with a power behind this softness, which made it clear to Angela that she meant it seriously. "Our positions are much too different." She looked back in the night and the beautiful empty sky ~and there is another thing.~ "I would not feel good by this and there would just be problems...." Angela wanted to say something, but her mother lifted one claw. "It is better so this way, believe me..." Angela looked at her mother and sighed "I do not think so," she said "but I respect your decision. But. " Again Demona saw hope in her daughter's eyes. "Perhaps you will change your mind."  
  
Demona looked at her daughter. She had a problem, on the one hand she did not want to hurt her daughter, on the other hand she did not want to rise false hope in her. Finally she shrugged her shoulders. "I have time daughter and when time is just a variable, a lot things are possible." Angela nodded, as this was all she had hoped for. Demona took Shade, stood up and looked into the sky. "Have a good night daughter!" she explained calmly.  
  
"You too mother..." Angela answered ~but it would be a completely wonderful night if you would stay~. She did not speak it out when she saw her mother together with Shade disappearing in the night, but a single tear rolled down her cheek...  
  
"This had not gone unnoticed by one other person who was spying on them. "Interesting," the person said and smiled, evily, "and useful... "  
  
Demona shuddered while she glided away and looked around without seeing anything dangerous. "Soon it begins... " she said to Shade and glided away.  
  
To be continued... 


End file.
